Annealing-furnace.



J. D. ADAMS.

ANNEALING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. 1917.

Patented my 21, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. D. ADAMS.

' ANNEALING FURNACE.

APPUCATION FILED MAYZ I I917- ]Patented May 21,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JAMES D. ADAMS, OF NORTH BELLE VERNON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ANNEALING-FURNACE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES D. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of North Belle Vernon, in the county of WVestmorelandand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Annealing-Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to annealing furnaces adapted for the annealing of tubes or other articles to which it may be found applicable. V

The object of my invention is to provide a furnace in which the operation is practically continuous, onelot of articles being charged into the furnace while another lot is being discharged therefrom, thereby givmg a greatsaving in time and labor.

, In the accompanyin drawing, Figure 1 is an end elevation o my improved furnace; Fig. 2 is a side view; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view; and Fig. 4 is a modi fied form of my invention.

In the drawing the numeral 2 designates a suitable framework which supports the furnace-chamber 3, which in the present form is in the shape of the figure 8 comprising the upper chamber 4: and the lower chamber 5 communicating with each other through the opening 6. i

Gas pipes are arranged at the sides of the furnace-chambers to provide heating means, the fines 8 communicating with said gas pipes and leading to the chambers 4:

and 5. The frames 11. and 12 extend longitudinally of the chambers 4; and 5 and at the ends of said frames are the trunnions 9 and 10 which are trunnioned in the ends of the furnace chambers. Each frame con sists of a plurality of compartments toreceive the pipes 13.

To provide for the rotation of the frames 11 and 12 simultaneously the intermeshing gears 14 and 15 are provided, one of said gears being driven by suitable power.

The lower chamber 5 has the opening 16 at the lower end thereof which is normally closed by the door 17. This door is mounted on the shaft 18 and said shaft carries the pinion 19 which is adapted to be engaged by the mutilated gear 20 carried by the trunnion 10. In order to hold the door 17 normally closed, said door is counterweighted by, means of the weight 21 which is connected by the cable 22 to said door, said Specification of Letters Patent. Patented lwa y 21, 11918. Application filed May 26, 1917. Serial No. 171,143. 9 5

cable passing through the sheaves 23. The weight'2l is suflicient to hold the door 17 normally closed when the pipes are resting on said door, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, but when the teeth of the mutilated gear 20 engage the teeth of the pinion 19, the door 17 will be lowered for the purpose fully hereinafter set forth.

When my improved furnace is employed for annealing tubes, a bundle of tubes is lowered by an overhead crane or other device into a compartment of the cradle or frame 11 which is in position with reference to the opening 2 1 of the upper furnace chamber 4 to receive the tubes. When the tubes have been deposited in one ofthe compartments of the frame, power is applied to rotate the trunnion 10 and with it said frame 11. The tubes will be carried by the frame into the closed portion of the chamber, 4 while another compartment of the frame comes into position to receive n other bundle of tubes. When the compartment containing the tubes first charged comes into register with the opening 6 between the chambers 4 and 5, the tubes will be discharged into a compartment of the frame 12 and upon further rotation of the shafts 9 and 10 the tubes will be carried around in this manner until they rest upon the door 17.

By the time the bundle of tubes originally charged into the frame 11 have reached the door 17 the tubes will have been properly annealed and the mutilated gears 20 are timed to have their teeth engage with the pinions 19 so as to lower the door 17, and as said door is gradually lowered the tubes carried thereby are gradually discharged therefrom into the car 25 arranged in position to receive the annealed tubes. As soon as the door 17 has been swung open to completely discharge the tubes, the teeth of the mutilated gear 20 pass out of engagement with the pinion 19 and the weight 21 brings the door back to normal or closed position.

In this manner, the tubes pass gradually through the furnace and when one set of tubes is being discharged from the furnace, another set is being introduced into the furnace so that it forms practically a continuous operation, and the tubes are shifted at each movement of the frame and their points of contact changed so that all parts of the tubes are subjected to the heating action by this constant change of position, and practically even and uniform annealing of the tubes is obtained.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a modified form of my invention in Which the door 17 is dispensed with and an opening 26 in the lower chamber permits of the discharge of the tubes which pass down the slot 27 into the car.

What I claim is:

1. An annealing furnace comprising a circular chamber, and a rotary frame therein having a plurality of longitudinally extending compartments, said furnace having charging and discharging openings adapted to register with the openings of said compartments.

2. An annealing furnace comprising a circular furnace-chamber, a rotary frame therein having a plurality of longitudinally extending compartments, said furnace-chamber having a discharge openingadapted to register with theopenings of said compartments, and a door normally closing said copies of this patent may be obtained for closing said opening, and means operated by the rotation of said frame for opening said door.

5. An annealing furnace comprising a circular heating chamber, a rotary frame mounted therein having a plurality of compartments, said heating chamber having a discharge opening, a counterweighted swinging door normally closing said opening, a mutilated gear on said rotary frame, a pinion connected to said door adapted to be engaged by said mutilated gear.

6. An annealing furnace comprising upper and lower communicating circular heating chambers, shafts in said chambers, frames mounted on said shafts having a plurality of compartments intermeshing gears on said shafts, the lower heating chamber having a discharge opening, a counterweighted swinging door normally closing said opening, a mutilated gear on the shaft of said lower chamber, and a pinion connected to said door adapted to be engaged by said mutilated gear.

7. An annealing furnace comprising upper and lower communicating circular heating chambers, rotary frames in said chambers having a plurality of. compartments, said furnace having charging and discharging openings.

In testimony whereof, I, the said JAMES D, ADAMS, have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES D. ADAMS.

lVitnesses:

Rom. D. To'rTEN, JOHN F. WILL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent:, Washington, D. 0. 

